Rosie Perez Gives Another Heartfelt Performance

Jeff Goldblum, Graydon Carter, Ron Perlman, Zac Posen...

When Rosie Perez's dad saw her topless scene in Do the Right Thing,
he literally had a heart attack. "He stood up in the theater, said 'Ay, Dios
mío!,' and grabbed his heart," she told us last week. "They had to
carry him out." So it's understandable that only days before she replaced
Edie Falco in Frankie and Johnny, she still hadn't told her father,
80-year-old Ismeal Serrano, who lives in Puerto Rico, that she spends much
of her time onstage completely nude. Not long ago, Perez got a call from her
dad demanding to know how she could say a "dirty word" on television. Family
members had apparently blabbed about Perez's recent appearance on Conan
O'Brien, during which the actress repeatedly used the word bush. "I
said, 'No, I didn't,' " Perez tells us. "And then he said, 'There's a rumor
you're going to be naked onstage.' I was like, 'No! Who told you that? I'm
going to give them a call.' " So it's just as well that Serrano wasn't in
town last week during rehearsals when co-star Joe Pantoliano decided to
break the tension. "We were on a ten-minute break and he just dropped his
boxers," Perez says. "And he had a measuring tape. He said, 'How many inches
do you think I am?' "

Jeff Goldblum: Still Fly

Jeff Goldblum may be 50, but he can keep up with people half his age. On a
recent Thursday, Goldblum met a bunch of twentysomethings, including
Scrubs star Zach Braff and his girlfriend Bonnie Somerville of NBC's
In-Laws, Burn This star Peter Sarsgaard, and a few other
friends at the Mercer Kitchen at about 11 p.m. Fran Drescher, who was seated
a few tables away, came over to congratulate Braff on his hit sitcom, then
insisted that everyone meet Esther Drescher. "Fran said she'd be right
back," one of our spies reports. "She returned with a perfectly coiffed
Pomeranian in her arms. She said, 'Esther Drescher, this is everyone.
Everyone, this is Esther Drescher.' " After a couple of drinks, the posse --
sans Drescher -- headed up to Goldblum's suite. Goldblum played the piano
while Somerville sang some "Cole Porter–ish" tunes, reports our spy.
But then the front desk called to say that fellow hotel guests were
complaining about the noise. When Goldblum and company resumed at a much
lower noise level, however, two young female model types appeared at the
door. "They had champagne bottles and said, 'Why did you stop playing? We
want to hear more,' " reports our spy. Before the night was over, Goldblum
took a liking to one of Braff's pals, a buxom brunette. After saying, "It
was nice meeting you," Goldblum goosed the gal. She giggled and hightailed
it on out of there.

Graydon Carter's Happy New Year

Graydon Carter and Samantha Boardman looked like they were making their own
fireworks on New Year's. The couple was spotted on Ron Perelman's Ultima III
yacht for the Revlon mogul's boat bash in St. Barts. "She was on his lap,
and they were
all kissy and cuddly," a tipster tells us. Meanwhile, Perelman celebrated
his birthday just after midnight, because he turned 60 on New Year's Day.
His wife, Ellen Barkin, surprised him with a chocolate cake and a framed
artwork depicting the Statue of Liberty. Barry Manilow was onboard to sing
"Happy Birthday," which impressed the hell out of Suzanne
Somers. "You just had Barry Manilow sing 'Happy
Birthday' to you," Somers cooed to Perelman. "That is so cool."

ABC News Makes Room for Baby

Good Morning America aired a live birth in 2001,
but ABC newswoman Elizabeth Vargas wasn't interested in being the first
anchor to earn that distinction while she was filling in for Peter Jennings
on World News Tonight last week. Although Vargas's due date isn't
until January 23, her doctor said the baby could come any day now. "He kicks
a lot on the air," Vargas told us. So just to be on the safe side, producers
had correspondent Bill Blakemore sit through the newscasts in full makeup,
just a few feet away from Vargas, ready to step in if necessary. "Every
single night he wakes up, and there's a massive amount of movement right
before I go on the air," Vargas said of the baby. Noah Kotch, the head
writer, said, "Maybe it's the adrenaline in your body released before the
show that he's reacting to." So does the baby kick more when Vargas mentions
any particular newsmakers? "No," she said. But then she added with a laugh,
"President Bush?"

High roller: We hear Zac Posen is designing uniforms for the $1
billion, 2,010-room Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa set to open in Atlantic City
this summer. Posen is telling pals that he wants to give $100 gambling chips
to editors at his show during Fashion week next month.